Five Easy Steps to Make This School Year a Success

By Glenda Faye Pryor-Johnson

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Get your child to school on time

Because attendance is especially important in education, students should be in their classroom and seated on time every day. It’s much easier for your child to start his day if he’s already in his seat with his school materials put away, rather than rushing into the classroom at the last minute.

Remember, any student entering school after the designated time will be marked tardy. Additionally, excessive tardies can lead to negative consequences, including in-school suspension or suspension from school. Always check with the school to obtain the arrival and dismissal times for your student. Under certain circumstances, a written valid excuse from the parent or guardian will excuse a tardy.

Send along the necessary school supplies

Your classroom teacher will post his or her list of school supplies for the new school year. Basic supplies might include: Notebooks, paper, folders, writing tables, crayons, pencils, and ink pens. Make sure your child has the supplies he needs to start each day. Many stores have sales on school materials, so stock up for the entire year. Send your child to school ready to learn.

Help your child make new friends

All it takes to boost a child’s self-esteem is to feel well-liked. While some kids have a knack for attracting and keeping friends, others are on the shy side and may need help breaking the ice. You can work on helping your child build social skills by talking about his strengths and interests. Help him identify things he is good at that might be of interest to others.

Come up with conversation starters. If your child wants to get to know a certain classmate but doesn’t know how to go about it, suggest activities the two could work on together, maybe solving a tricky math assignment or teaming up on a class art project. When meeting someone new, suggest he tell the other child something he likes about him, or is good at. It may take time, but being nice to others, sharing, and trying new things may help your wallflower begin to bloom.